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The GWS Academy is a farce

All four draftees from the GWS Academy come from the Riverina which is a football area anyway. This GWS academy area does not add to the AFL talent pool, it merely funnels existing talent into the Giants. (This area was so highly regarded by the old VFL that it was the South Melbourne country recruiting zone and given equal status to the La trobe Valley, Ballarat, Bendigo, Sunraysia, Western Victoria, etc!)

Although the Riverina is thought of as a traditional AFL recruiting zone, the actual output from the region in the last decade has been very modest (prior to the Giants' academy). So there is evidence that it needed an injection of development resources.

I do think that players who choose to enter one of the mainstream development paths- ie the football schools in Vic, WA and SA together with participation in the TAC Cup or equivalent- shouldn't be available as academy selections. The intention of the academies, and specifically the priority access of the host clubs, is to encourage those clubs to invest resources (time as well as money) to create development infrastructures that the players wouldn't otherwise have access to, and hence enable those players to develop at equivalent rate to their peers in the more traditional football states. If those players want to move to take advantage of the Victorian private schools and TAC Cup that's fine, but their development can no longer be attributed to the academy programmes, and I don't think they should be eligible as priority access selections.

Although the Riverina is thought of as a traditional AFL recruiting zone, the actual output from the region in the last decade has been very modest (prior to the Giants' academy). So there is evidence that it needed an injection of development resources.

I do think that players who choose to enter one of the mainstream development paths- ie the football schools in Vic, WA and SA together with participation in the TAC Cup or equivalent- shouldn't be available as academy selections. The intention of the academies, and specifically the priority access of the host clubs, is to encourage those clubs to invest resources (time as well as money) to create development infrastructures that the players wouldn't otherwise have access to, and hence enable those players to develop at equivalent rate to their peers in the more traditional football states. If those players want to move to take advantage of the Victorian private schools and TAC Cup that's fine, but their development can no longer be attributed to the academy programmes, and I don't think they should be eligible as priority access selections.

Well said but no one cares cos they are too busy worrying about punishing swans.

The fact that the Lions and GWS were able to secure so many picks from their academies calls into question the ROI on our academy. Yes we got Mills and last yr Heeney (which are both great selections) but it does not bode well for us if the cupboard looks bare for the future. I know GWS have the Riverina but what is Brisbane doing to be able to develop its kids that we are not ? Our academy has operated for quite a few yrs but our pickings have been relatively slim except for 2 above and tweety Bird.

The AFL cannot afford for GWS not to work, so they need to give them that zone to ensure that they keep the production line humming along. What it might do is stop them losing players back to Victoria like they have done this year, and like Brisbane have been doing. Our own Academy is still fairly new, let's not forget. If I recall correctly, the first crop of kids who started at U10s are only U16s this year, so there's still plenty of time before we really see the benefits of it.

Kennedy honestly was in the Academy for ONE year there should be a minimum 3 years at the academy rule or something this is ludicrous.. We spend five six years on players get them away from other codes

Anyone hear murmurs about GWS moving to Canberra in five years time if they don't have enough impact in Western sydney?